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Like many others, a youthful Jason Spooner came across his father’s collection of oldies and was hooked. How can you pass up excellent musicians and song writers that are important threads in the voluminous blanket of excellent music. But, while others simply feel the beat, Spooner decided he was going to create it; a new beat that takes a taste of old and combines it with an emerging modern acoustic/blues trend. Music that never forgets about the important art of lyric. Spooner has grown up and come a long way. He has just released his third album, an absolute gem. As songwriter Christine Lavin wrote about Spooner, “This is someone important.”

A review of Spooner by MaineToday.com summed up his music the best. “Jason’s songs are keys to the locked trunks that hold the artifacts of our lives. You can enjoy the music as top-shelf entertainment, but I guarantee that you’re going to want to come back and dig
for the treasure.”

People are coming back for more.

Spooner released his first album Lost Houses in October of 2002. The album featured a young musician demonstrating tremendous musical maturity. The highlight of the album is his voice. It’s controlled beauty perfectly overlaps a fun acoustic guitar that sings sweetly in “Cry Me To Sleep” and refreshingly twangy in “Pickup Truck.” The album lifted the Maine-based songwriter to the status of musician and soon after he added a rhythm section composing Adam Frederick and Reed Chambers.

The Flame You Follow followed five years later. The acoustic guitar was joined by an organ and horns. The album explored several different genres and portrayed an even stronger grip over instrumental and vocal poise. Like a composed quarterback, Spooner leads his band down field while remaining in the pocket, strong and incredibly talented.

No wonder why he has been recognized as both a musician and lyricist.

Taken from his biography,

“Jason won “Best Singer/Songwriter” in the Portland Phoenix’s annual “Best Music Poll 2008.” Jason also won the International finals of the Mountain Stage NewSong contest held in New York City. He was honored as a national finalist in the Starbucks Music Makers competition in Boston. Jason took part in a tour of the East Coast as a selected member of the Falcon Ridge “Most Wanted” Preview Tour. He was also recently named as a New Folk Finalist in the renowned Kerrville Folk Festival in Kerrville, TX. Jason and his band returned to both festivals as a main stage act in 2007. Previously, he won the Ossipee Valley Bluegrass Festival songwriting contest in NH and was a finalist in the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Competition.”

That is a lot of recognition for a young musician. Well, listen to one reason why. Here is the title track off The Flame You Follow:

Sea Monster, his most recent release, hit the stores in October of this year and is perhaps his best combination of songs thus far in his young career. It was recorded in Maine with his mates and unearthed some new musical territory.

“In the past, I had been so focused on making acoustic music that the electric was relegated to more of a supporting role,” said Spooner in an interview. “One of the smaller brushes in the batch. This time around, I just focused on the right guitar for the right song. There’s no question that the electrics ended up front and center on this record and I’m very happy with the progression.”

This is natural. A musician has to keep experimenting. Like any good professional, you never stop learning and Spooner is still learning. Off of the new album, here is “Half a Mind.”

This is an excellent blues piece that features Spooner’s powerful voice and some awesome instrumentation. I love the raw emotion in the live recording. And then we have this:

A complete change of gears. His voice remains the same, but, the lyric becomes even more personal and somber and the song transforms from blues to a melancholic mixture. But, this expresses a rare skill. He effortlessly switches genre on the same album. Perhaps this is why the album cover features a scuba diver. Spooner dives into the mysterious realm of the mostly unexplored ocean. He is not sure what he will find, but, with his musical talent, it is going to be melodious.